Although they've been more or less “ignored” by PND manufacturers for a fairly long period of time, motorcycle riders are now getting a lot of attention from quite a few companies involved in this particular field of the consumer electronics market. And the latest to roll out a new product targeting specifically this segment is none other than Mitac (the firm behind the Mio brand), which is prepping the Mio C523 V2 for launch on the Japanese market.

Apparently, the new C523 V2 is not that different from its predecessor, the C523, as far as the form factor and features are concerned. However, according to Japanese website TechOn, the fresh PND will sport what Mitac Japan calls a “rider” mode, namely a function that indicates directions to follow at multiple intersections on a single screen, using arrows.

Despite the fact that technical details regarding the C523 V2 are pretty sketchy, we do know that it will feature an SiRF Star III GPS receiver (similar to most other such devices around), 2GB of internal memory for storing navigation maps (provided by the P Corp in Japan) and other data, including here the Windows CE operating system. It also comes equipped with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display of Samsung origins.

Another interesting feature offered by the new Mio PND is the fact that it incorporates a Hitachi 1seg digital tuner, which means that motorcycle riders will be able to enjoy a little additional entertainment from the Japanese terrestrial digital mobile broadcasting system, while they're not on the road, of course.

Apparently, the Mio C523 V2 will be a bit on the expensive side, since its estimated retail price is of around 450 US dollars (44,800 Yen), something that might deter at least a couple of customers, especially during this period of economic uncertainty.


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